The Abia State Government has accused herders of being responsible for kidnapping in the South-east state.
The Commissioner for Information in the state, John Kalu, said in a statement on Monday that the Abia State Government condemned “without reservations, the activities of criminal herdsmen suspected to have masterminded recent brazen kidnap of innocent citizens around Abia North Senatorial Zone of the State”.
Mr Kalu said the herdsmen have also destroyed farmlands in the state, with their cows “grazing openly in violation of extant laws of the state and Nigeria”.
“Government also frowns seriously at the wanton destruction of cows by yet to be identified individuals whose aim is to exacerbate already existing tensions.
“Governor Okezie Ikpeazu has directed security agents in the state to bring to justice all those involved in the criminal activities,” the commissioner added. He urged residents not to be afraid to go out for their legitimate businesses.
The state government, he said, was on top of the situation and would “spare nothing in protecting Abians”.
The IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu, recently warned that the IPOB security arm, the Eastern Security Network, would soon enforce the ban on open grazing in all the states in the South-east, apparently to check the activities of criminal herdsmen in the region.
“In less than two weeks, #ESN will commence the full enforcement of Nigeria’s Anti-Grazing Law in the East,” The Punch newspaper, Tuesday, quoted Mr Kanu as saying. “Turn into a cow then and see what shall become of you.”
Criminal herders have also been accused of destruction of farmlands and other criminal activities in the South-west states of Oyo and Ogun and other states in Nigeria recently.
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